Regional Science Center

2025 E. Winsett Tucson, AZ (520) 225-4933 http://www.tusd1.org/contents/depart/science/index.asp

Serving Tucson's students since 1993

StatisticsSERVING• ~ 63,000 K-8 Students

KITS• 30 Kit Titles (K-8)• ~3,430 kit inventory= ~5,440 boxes

OUR CLIENTS•TUSD, Flowing Wells Unified School District, Altar Valley School District, St. Ambrose Catholic School, Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic School, Nellie P. Covert School, Tucson Country Day School, Tucson Hebrew Academy, SS Peter & Paul Catholic School, St. John’s Catholic School, St. Ambrose Catholic School, Santa Cruz Catholic School, St. Cyril School, Desert Valley Christian School, Family Life Academy

SPACE• Current space 9,905 square feet.

K-8 CORE Science Curriculum

•Measurement materials are included in each kit•Science Stories, readers and/or other non-fiction literature are included in most kits.

KLiquid Explorations

(GEMS)Fabrics(FOSS)

Balls & Ramps(INSIGHTS)

1 New Plants(FOSS)

Balance & Motion(FOSS)

Pebbles, Sand & Silt(FOSS)

2 Insects(FOSS)

Solids & Liquids(FOSS)

Air & Weather(FOSS)

3 Ecosystems(BSCS)

Earth Materials(FOSS)

Water(FOSS)

Sound & Light

4Structures of Life

(FOSS)Electric Circuits

(STC)Changing Earth

(BSCS)Weather

5 Human Body(FOSS)

Mixtures & Solutions(FOSS)

Models & Designs(FOSS)

Solar System

6 Diversity of Life(FOSS)

Energy & Environmental Science (Project WET)

Weather & Water(FOSS)

7 Ecology(SEPUP)

Earth History(FOSS)

Astronomy(Prentice Hall)

Universe at Your Fingertips (Proj. ASTRO)

8 Our Genes, Ourselves/Evolution(SEPUP)

Chemical Building Blocks(Prentice Hall)

Motion, Forces & Energy(Prentice Hall)

RED BLUE GRAY Mini

Production Area

Transportation of kits

Loading kits

Refurbishment

• Manuals are checked for completeness

• Items are inventoried using the inventory sheet

• Non-consumable items are cleaned/replaced

• Consumables are added as needed

RSC staff uses established protocols that allow kit refurbishment in an average of 20-25min. depending upon the kit complexity.

Crates hold prepared replacement pages for manuals.

Weight charts are used to avoid counting large quantity items.

Many items such as Potting Soil, Sand, Gravel, are prepackaged and kept in sealed containers, ready for use.

Bag-O-Stuff contains several of the small items in the kits and/or items of large quantities. These pre-packaged bags are assembled in advance to help maximize the refurbishment speed.

Identification charts are created for quick identification of items to ensure correct products are used in kits.

Inventory

• Inventory is stored in aisles that pertain to each kit.

• High use items are stored closest to the refurbishment area.

• Stock/Bulk is sorted alphabetically - pre-counted and bagged to add to surplus bins as needed.

•Bulk inventory is ordered for a full year refurbishment.

Live Organisms

The RSC breeds and cares for a variety of critters that are used in the K-8 science kits.

• Blackworms• Brine Shrimp (eggs)• Crayfish• Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches• Mealworms• Milkweed Bugs• Minnows• Silkworms (seasonally)• Snails (Land and Water)• Triops (eggs)

Tracking/Retrieving/Computer Management

• Resource Manager tracks kits.

• Kits are assigned to a specific teacher at each site.

• Kits are delivered & picked up from the sites by geographic region to maximize efficiency.

Kit Delivery and Pick Up

Driver checking for allwritten material -Teacher Guide,Science Stories, etc.

Driver checking to make surebooks match the unit.

As with all aspects of the Regional Science Center, the delivery and pick up of kits have very specific procedures. These processes help us keep track of materials as well as determine where materials are at any given time.

Staff

The RSC runs under the coordinated efforts of eight full time staff who take pride in serving the needs of Tucson’s children.

Volunteers, light duty district employees, special needs students, summer job training students all help pre-bundle materials used for kit refurbishment.

Frances Corral Leslie PikeMary Rodriguez

Tina Gonzales

Robert Martinez

Valerie Vargas

Professional Development

Science Specialists at the RSC provide ongoing PD to ensure a highly qualified work force.

• Kit Foundation courses

• Study Groups

• Customized professional development.• Topics include Science Notebooks, Inquiry, Building Academic Vocabulary, Student Assessment, Graphic Organizers, and more

Center Manager Araceli registers teachers for a course.

Kits in Use

All students have access to equitable, high quality science instruction that is nationally recognized and standards-based.

-Children observing a ‘land snail’ and writing in their science notebook.

RSC Contacts

Araceli GonzalezMaterials Center Manageraraceli.gonzalez@tusd1.org

Joan GilbertK-12 Science Program

Coordinator

joan.gilbert@tusd1.org

http://www.tusd1.org/contents/depart/science/index.asp src@tusd1.org